Daria Saville aims to maintain her momentum as she heads to the Australian Open, following a series of surprising victories at the Hobart International. Her impressive streak was halted by top-ranked player Elise Mertens in the semi-finals on Friday, with Saville making a comeback from a severe knee injury in June. Despite her efforts, she ultimately fell to Mertens in a close match with a final score of 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
Saville, ranked 195th in the world, received a wildcard invitation to compete in the Hobart tournament where he defeated three players ranked in the top 50, including Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, and China’s Zhu Lin who is currently ranked 33rd. Despite being 29 years old, Saville was given a wildcard spot to play in the main draw at the first major tournament of the year. He will face Magdalena Frech from Poland, who is ranked 72nd in the world, in the opening round.
Saville, who has previously been ranked in the world’s top 20, had a competitive match against Mertens. Surprisingly, both players won 37 points in the first set and ended with a total of 100 points for the entire match. Saville was behind with a break early in the final set, but was able to equalize at 3-3 before losing serve in the second-to-last game.
Saville expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating that he felt proud of himself. He admitted to feeling some nerves towards the end of the game, possibly due to not having played in many semi-finals. However, he viewed the week as a whole as a success and believes that he can use it as a foundation for future matches. He is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to play at Melbourne Park, which he considers to be his favorite time of the year.
Mertens commented that Saville has shown improvement since their last match in Hong Kong in October, where Mertens won in straight sets. She acknowledged that Saville is a skilled player and expected a tough match. Mertens, who has previously won the Hobart title in 2017 and 2018, is aiming for her third title.
The outcome was uncertain, with many instances of being tied at 40 points. The level of play was exceptional. She has shown significant improvement, with stronger shots and fewer errors.
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In the final on Saturday, Mertens will face either the second-seeded American Emma Navarro or Chinese qualifier Yue Yuan.
Source: theguardian.com
